Learning languages beyond the classroom: New literacies, motivations, and implications

Since the inventions of the Internet and mobile smartphone, the number of resources for informal L2 (additional) learning ‘in the digital wilds’ has exploded, especially for super-languages like English and Spanish. Why and how should we respond? Understanding the history, practice, and theory of the phenomenon of ‘language learning beyond the classroom’ (LLBC) is a good place to start. Recognizing what is truly new (and what is not) can help instructors and curriculum designers leverage LLBC for formal purposes and identify what their new roles might be. A variety of recent studies exploring informal and formal practices using social media, digital games, and other emergent digital technologies offer insight and direction. New media, digital literacies, and post-structural identity theories offer useful heuristics, as well as traditional and new theories of autonomy and motivation. Turning towards socio-cognitive and ecological interpretations, SLA and psychological theories are responding as well. By examining the new literacies and motivations for LLBC, this talk will hopefully implicate new practices, moving the conversation beyond keeping formal language learning experiences relevant towards making them indispensable.

Jonathon Reinhardt (PhD, Penn State) is a Professor of English Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the University of Arizona. His interests lie in the theory and practice of technology-enhanced additional language pedagogy, especially with emergent technologies like social media and digital gaming, language teacher preparation and learning, and critical language awareness. http://jonreinhardt.wordpress.com

Uncertainty as a catalyst for engagement and pedagogical reinvention

Research in neuroscience and educational psychology suggests that unpredictable outcomes can activate emotional and cognitive systems that deepen persistence, enhance focus, and promote long-term engagement (Clark et al., 2009; Schultz, 2007; Shank, 2020). When intentionally designed, uncertainty can become a powerful motivational force (Al-Hoorie, 2022; Sapolsky, 2017). Language education stands at a pivotal moment where this concept has renewed urgency. The disruptions of the pandemic compelled educators to innovate—reimagining connection, creativity, and curriculum through digital experimentation (Goertler & Gleason, 2024). Today, in the face of both the transformative potential of generative AI and the continued uncertainty in higher education, we are again called to rethink the future of language learning. This keynote explores how immersive technologies and AI-powered tools can position uncertainty not as a challenge to overcome, but as a catalyst for engagement and pedagogical reinvention. Through virtual reality simulations, interactive AI companions, and narrative-centered experiences, we can design environments where learners don’t simply study languages and cultures—but they live, experience, and interact with them.

Nicole Mills is Joint Director of Language Programs in the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures and a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She teaches courses in French, language pedagogy, and technology-enhanced language learning. Her research explores the psychology of language learning and its intersection with virtual and AI-driven environments. She co-authored Perspectives on Teaching Language and Content (Yale University Press, 2020) and has published widely in journals such as The Modern Language Journal, Foreign Language Annals, and Language Learning. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies and French from Emory University.
Links to publications and presentations: https://works.bepress.com/nicole_mills/